Open College of Ireland

Instructor Led Online Training

Course Title:  Instructor Led Online Training

Objective of this course:

To give trainers the skills required to teach live, instructor led courses over the Internet.

Content of this course:

• Delivering high-quality live interactive classes over the Internet using a PC based conferencing system.
• Using a Learning Management System to provide non-live services to learners.
• Designing a teaching strategy for your course..

Delivery dates:

• Each Tuesday from 20th Oct, 2009 9pm – 10pm for 8 weeks
• This will consist of 8 live online sessions of 1 hour each, pre-course exercises, exercises between classes and a post-course assignment.

Certification: Open College of Ireland Certificate

• Marks are awarded for performance in assignments on this course.  Certification will be based on this performacne (Certificate of attendance, Certificate of completion, Honours, 1st Class honours) and  subject to Open College of Ireland quality procedures.

Cost: €500 (special opening offer of €200)

Course provider: Open College of Ireland

Make an enquiry about this course

Further information:

The method of online learning employed by the Open College of Ireland is based on online communication tools as opposed to the development of e-learning content.

In the past much online learning has consisted of interactive multimedia materials that learners work through on their own.  These can be expensive and time-consuming to produce and are often, because of their solitary nature, not very satisfying to learners.

In contrast to this, Open College of Ireland facilitates trainers in giving interactive live online classes.  This is done using a web-based conferencing system and allows the trainer to use existing training materials, such as Powerpoint slides, along with live audio and video to give online presentations or webinars.   Because these conferencing systems were originally designed for online meetings,  these live events can be designed to be highly interactive and engaging with lots of potential for input from and between trainees.

In addition to this, trainers and trainees have access to a special purpose web-page for each course that allows them to easily communicate between classes.  This web-page can be used to post documents and links to useful websites.  Recordings of classes can be posted for those who missed live events or who wish to revise the content.  The page contains areas where the trainer can post news items or the trainees can post queries, that can be answered later by the trainer or even by the other trainees.  Trainees can be divided into groups and be given access to appropriate tools to work on collaborative exercises.  Quizzes and assignments can be placed on this page and it can be used to give individualised private feedback to each trainee.

The advantages of this type of online training are as follows:

• Minimal new skills to be acquired by the trainer.
• Shorter lead time in preparing a course to go online.
• Lower investment in putting a course online (and lower risk)
• A more satisfying medium for trainers where their relationship and communication with the trainee is central.
• A more satisfying and sociable experience for the trainee where he or she has excellent communication with all participants, leading to higher retention rates and better learning outcomes.

This course uses all the above techniques to train trainers in the use of these technologies and techniques.  Between live classes, you will be required to carry out exercises.  Your performance in these exercises will be marked and the level of certification you will receive will depend on this performance.

Although the contents of this course has been designed for those who wish to give training courses through infrastructure supplied by the Open College of Ireland, this type of infrastructure is widely available from other suppliers so trainers are not tied into the Open College of Ireland in any way.